It was a beautiful bike, but the Gulfstream (the tandem formerly known as the Ryan Duplex) proved to be too long for the aging captain to handle. The Rear Admiral sorely misses the seatback, but not the ignominious ejection to the pavement when the stern fails to properly follow the bow. This is not the bike's fault: it is the helmsman who attempts to go where no 11-foot bicycle has gone before.

We found this ride in Denver in 2006. The demo bike had the same paint job. Due to running out of red paint, builder Greg Peek fogged black paint onto the front of the frame to cover up some repairs. Ellie liked the look, so we had it duplicated on the new bike.

During our demo ride through Denver's park trails, John laid the bike over on the street. He wrote the mishap off to his lack of experience with an 11-foot long machine. That fall was the harbinger of many more to come with the new tandem. Great bike for going in a straight line on level ground. Any grade over 6% was a killer. Over 8% and the bike was walked, not ridden. A bad fall a mile from home was the last straw. Ellie still has the scars on her left elbow.

In spite of its weight and handling issues, the workmanship on this ride was outstanding. Greg Peek is a perfectionist, and the frame and components proved it.